Legends of Belariath
Lazarus Deeim
Appearance:Lazarus wears a black, sleeveless shirt that is comfortably baggy over his torso. He also wears black pants which are a bit on the tight side, showing off his lower body well and black boots that come almost up to his knees. On his arms are metal vambraces which go from his wrists up to just below his elbows. He is not hugely muscular but he is athletically muscled and trim, keeping his body in fairly good shape. He has green eyes and black hair with slightly tanned skin from all the days out and about under the sun. His hair falls down to his shoulders and just a bit below them, though sometimes is tied back into a long ponytail.
History:Lazarus was raised under a different name, obviously, since Lazarus Deeim is a human name and not suitable for an elf by the standards of the race. His original name was Kaendrysia Shori, Kael for short. As with all elves, Sylvans especially, one does not leave the clan until they are very old (by human standards) and so there was nothing to tell of Kaendrysia/Lazarus up until the point where he turned 40. His clan village was one that had set up a “school” of sorts to train the young to fight and assign the students to patrol the forests. Kael was one of the top 5 and therefore lead one of the 5 patrols through the forest.
His section of forest was one that was a bit darker and thicker than others, blocking out almost all light, but otherwise it was unremarkable. On that day however, something came about that never should have happened and would change his life forever. The patrol came across a small Dark Elf child, a female child, no more than 10 years old. Kael made the cadets hold their swords, not wanting to kill the child. He ordered that they would take her back to the village. She didn't exactly like this, but was too weak from hunger to do much besides let Kael carry her.
Once back in the village, Kael went directly to the Elders and placed the child before them. They had Kaendrysia leave as he was not a part of the ruling body of the clan and therefore was not privvy to the discussion until they called for him. He waited outside of the treehall for many hours before he was finally summoned inside to give his report of how he had found her, the final thing the Council needed. With that, they decided as a group that the Moriel child was to be put to death the following morning at dawn after the sun had burned her sufficiently until she could no longer scream as punishment for the crimes of her race.
Kaendryisa was shocked that his people could be capable of such cruelty and pleaded with the Elders that the girl was only a child, not yet responsible for the actions of the Moriel as a whole. For two long hours he argued on the girl's behalf, even going so far as to say he would take the child to one of the encampments of Dark Elves who had taken to life on the surface by the call of the goddess Eilistraee. This idea too was refused. As a last effort, Kael even offered to adopt the girl and teach her the ways of the Sylvan, so that she would not be the monster that they wished to put her down for. The Council would not accept this either, saying that she was too much of a risk and danger to the clan. So, she was put into the jail to await her fate for the next morning.
The night, Kael decided that this could not be allowed to happen, he could not let his people commit this crime of genocide. No matter what had been pounded into his head since birth about their evil kin, he could not let this go on. The girl was an innocent, not yet the monster that the rest of her people were when they were properly trained. From what he knew, the girl was stubborn and a bit arrogant, but not the mistress of Lloth that the older ones were.
And so, under the cover of darkness that night, he stole through the streets. The best of the guards were usually on duty at night, but it was his group's turn for sleep this night and with the new moon it made it even easier for him to be able to slip past. He moved for the jail, to the wall and peeking through the window down onto the child's huddled form. He could tell she was crying. He took a small vial from his pouch, pouring it onto the bars as the acid inside took the effect and with a slight hiss ate the bars away. He anchored a rope with a piton from his belt and slipped through the window. He put his hand over her mouth, pressing a finger to his lips. He smiled and pointed to the window, hoping she would understand that he was rescuing her. She put her arms around his neck and he carried her from the place.
He made it to the ground fairly easily then and went in the opposite direction from the village and through the brush. He took the girl to a Moriel encampment, the followers of Eilistraee, who were having a celebration to their goddess. These beings were good, and loving from what he knew of them and the girl would be safe here. He set her down, smiling softly and speaking to her in her native language as he knew from his dealings with the surface Dark Elves. “You must go to them now, and be safe. I will see you again one day. I am Kaendrysia Shori.” The girl was shy and nodded a bit as she looked up at him and then smiled a bit. “I am Vystori Daernon.”
Once back, Kaendrysia stood trail for helping the girl to escape. For this, he was banished from his village and his clan. That was 40 years ago, and he had to be given a new name as his old one was stripped from him. It was given to him by a human man who took him in, but then, that tale is for another day.
Kaendrysia Shori wandered aimlessly and without a name as both his name and everything that made him an individual in his clan had been stripped away from him when he was exiled. The road was a lonely one, and Kael's path took him through some of the deepest parts of the woods that not even his people had come to know very well. He eventually came to stand upon the very edge of the safe treeline he had known all his life. Eyes fell over the long, open road that rolled through fields as far as he could see into the distance. He was to begin a new day, so he had to take the first step he supposed.
Moving out onto the road was one of the hardest things he had ever done. He had never risked so much sanity as when he left his trees. But, he reminded himself, this was the forest of his Clan and he was no longer welcome there. So, he took a step and then two out onto the road. Soon enough, his feet were carrying him dismally away from the only home he'd every know. His green gaze was cast forward though, his blonde locks (for at this time his hair was blonde) moving gently in the wind. He wore a simple green tunic over hide pants and a forest green cloak. A sturdy pack carrried all the other supplies that he carried. He held a staff carved of the wood of his home, so that he didn't have to leave it fully behind quite yet.
In the first town he came across, there were almost no other race represented besides humans. It was a walled city, admitting entrance only to a select range of people. His Sylvan Elf heritage was not taken well by the guards at first, but once he let them search him and check for any magical aptitude he was allowed in. He posed almost no threat at all, certainly nothing that the guards couldn't handle. In his time there, Kael saw only two other Elves and they happened to be High Elves working as tutors to some of the nobles. Deciding he wanted to move on, Kael gathered supplies and was on the road again before night fell.
That night was the first time Kaendrysia had been outside of the woods at night in his entire life and he laid on his back looking up at the starry canopy above him. The world was so large, he now realized, much bigger than he had ever thought it could be before he had left the forest. The thought of the woods brought hurt to his heart, thinking of how he would never see them again. He began to wonder if that girl's life had been worth it. And then he felt truly ashamed that he could even think for a moment that it wasn't. How could he care for nature as he had been told all his life, and not value the life of a child? It WAS a nature, as they were all a part of it. As his green eyes slid closed, he knew he had done the right thing. And that comforted him into a none-the-less fitful sleep.
As the day dawned bright and clear, Kael was up with the first light and was walking on the road once more before the morning dew had even left the grass. And this was the way of Kael's life for months, and then a year. His wandering took him to many fields and gave him many star-filled nights. He didn't have much trouble, (To Be Continued)